About Duchenne

What is DMD?

The Biggest Killer You've Never Heard Of!

When you describe someone as muscular you mean that person has strong muscles, is brawny, is strong, is vigorous. When a doctor tells you your child has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, that doctor is telling you that your child's muscles will fail them as they grow.

Because of a gene mutation at the time of or before conception, your child's body will not produce enough of a protein called dystrophin. This protein keeps muscles healthy. Once muscles can't repair themselves, they lose the power to operate - at first to operate efficiently, and sometimes to operate at all.

While other forms of muscular dystrophy entail an adult life confined to a wheelchair, if your doctor tells you your child has Duchenne muscular dystrophy - your son to be precise, for this disease only affects boys and young men - he will be lucky to enjoy any adult life at all.

If your son has this most lethal of muscle diseases, he will stop walking by the age of twelve, and stop breathing in his late teens or early twenties. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the number one genetic killer of children in the world. It affects one in every 3500 boys worldwide.

There is a great deal of tragedy in this world, but can you think of a more tragic situation than knowing your little boy will die a long time before you do, and knowing that you will have to watch him travel every faltering step of that journey?

One last bit of bad news: if you were thinking 'genetic' means DMD runs in families, that your family will be spared: in at least one third of cases the genetic mutation causing DMD arises spontaneously - that is, without any previous history.

The Duchenne Foundation has been set up to find funds to support the research that will extend and improve - and possibly save - our boys lives.